KUALA LUMPUR: The sessions court here has found Rumah Bonda founder Siti Bainun Ahd Razali guilty of neglecting and abusing a Down Syndrome teenager two years ago.
Siti Bainun was charged under section 31(1) of the Child Act 2001 for neglecting and abusing a teenager known as Bella.
The case has been stood down for sentencing.
Earlier, trial judge Izralizam Sanusi held that the defence had failed to cast any reasonable doubt on the prosecution’s case.
Izralizam said the court was unable to accept the testimony given by Siti Bainun in her defence.
Referring to an incident at her apartment which resulted in Bella being scalded by hot water from a flask, Bainun had testified to being told that the child suffered the injury following a fight with two residents, known as Yasmin and Balqis, sometime in May 2021.
She claimed that the scuffle took place at the apartment’s laundry room and that she was not at home during the incident.
However, the trial judge said he was unable to accept the testimony as Bainun was not present to witness the incident herself.
“Balqis and another resident, Aida, were offered as witnesses to the defence but they were not called to testify.
“The incident should have been informed immediately to Imran Mohamed Zanyuin (a social welfare officer), who was tasked as Bella’s protector.
“But this was not done. Imran was only informed one month later,” Izralizam added.
The court also found that Siti Bainun had given conflicting information to Imran about the incident, telling him that it had taken place in the kitchen.
“The accused said she took Bella to seek treatment in a clinic, one month after the incident.
“The court finds that her action was unreasonable. To my mind, it was made up,” said Izralizam.
The judge also took note of the testimony of doctors, who gave evidence that Bella’s body showed multiple scars, burns and wounds.
“The doctors said the injuries were ‘suspected non-accidental injuries and had happened on multiple occasions’.
“Dr Nizam Malik Bali Mohamed (a paediatrician from Hospital Kuala Lumpur) said the alleged hot water incident could not have caused multiple scars and wounds,” said Izralizam.
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